A museum that brings you back in time
- Jl. Lapangan Stasiun No. 1
- Tue-Sun 8am-4pm (closed on mon)
- +62 21 6902000
This museum gives you a glimpse in the heydays of the Dutch colony
Throwback to the old days
This museum gives you a glimpse in the heydays of the Dutch colony. No efforts were spared to recreate the original interior and atmosphere of a bank in the early 20th century: original counters and display signs, old money printing machine and vintage type writers.
Built to impress
This was the headquarters of the VOC bank: the Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM). Occupying a prime site opposite the railway station and designed by the city’s most famous architects, the NHM was initially a trade bank but later became a commercial bank that helped to finance many of the large infrastructure and plantation projects in the country. After independence, NHM became bank Exim, a state banks that eventually merged into Bank Mandiri.
Our pick
What we like most about this museum are the beautifully coloured stained glass windows in front of the monumental staircase. The windows tell the history of the arrival of the Dutch in Indonesia. It is also one of Jakarta’s favourite wedding photo locations.
Guilders of Yuan?
The left wing of the bank was for European clients where transactions took place in Dutch guilders. The right wing of the building was for Chinese clients, trades were in yuan and the cashiers were kitted out with traditional Chinese abacuses.